Guard for fish-nets



(No Mdel.)

J. MYERS.

GUARD PoR FISH NETS.

No. 396,948. Patented Jan. 29, 18899.

N. Pneus Phnmumngmpm. wunmgwn, u. c.

JACOB MYERS, 0F EUREKA, CALIFORNIA.

GUARD FOR FISH-NETS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters PatentrNo. 396,948, dated January 29, 1889.

Application filed November 30, 1888. Serial No. 292,316. (No model.)

To all who/nf it 71mg/ con/corn.:

Be it known that I, JACOB MYERS, of Eureka, Humboldt county, State of California, have invented an Improvement in Guards for FishIets; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same.

My invention relates to the class of lish-nets 3 and it consists in a novel guard for the base or foot of the not, the object of which is to prevent the leadeline from rolling up in and with the base or the foot of the net when the netis being dragged in. This guard consists, essentially, of a number of rigid or stiff pieces or bars, one end of which is secured to the lead-line and the other end is secured to the net at a point above said lead-line, thereby rendering thebase or foot of the net incapable of rolling up. The guard has novel features of construction and arrangement, which I shall hereinafter fully describe.

The main object of my invention, as above stated, is to prevent the base or foot of the net from rolling up when said net is being dragged in. As the net reaches shoal water, the tendency is for the lead-line to roll up in and with the foot of the net, forming in a short while a roll of material under which the larger fish escape; but by rendering the foot of the net stiff for a short distance this rolling up is effectually prevented and the net itself is allowed to bag outwardly to its full capacity, its lead-line dragging closely along the bottom.

Minor objects of the invention are attained by the novel con struction and arrangement of the guard, aswill presently appear.

Referring to the accompanying drawings for a more complete explanation of my invention, Figure l is an elevation of a fish-net, showing the application of my guards. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of one of my guards. Fig. 3 shows the netbagged and the .foot held rigid by the guards.

A is a fish-net, of which a is the lead-line and a' the coil;li1ie.

B are the guards as applied to the net.V

It will be seen that they are stiff or rigid pieces, the lower ends of which are attached to the lead-line and the upper ends are attached to the net at a point a little higher up, and thus render the foot ofthe net,which lies between the plane of the upper ends of the guards and the lead-line, incapable of rolling or bending. These guards are made as follows: The body b of the guard is a stick of wood, and its lower end fits within the leg of the T-shaped foot b of the guard, said foot being made tubular and of metal,resembling an ordinary T-coupling for pipes. The leadline n, passes through t-he horizontal portion of the foot, while the lower end of the body portion l) fits in the tubular leg portion of the foot and is secured therein by a screw, b2. The lower end of the body b is preferably sharpened to apoint, as shown at b3, and this point penetrates the lead-line o, thereby serving to hold the foot portion in its place on said line. The upper end of the body b of the guard is secured to a line, C, passing longi tudinally of the net and secured thereto properly parallel to the lead-line. The connection between this line, which I call the guardline, and the guard is formed in any suitable manner, as by a half-hitch or other knot or tie.

The body I) of the guard is made of wood, to obtain a certain amount of buoyancy,while the foot portion is made of metal, so as to form part of the lead-line and assist the leads thereof. By having the body portion buoy ant the guards tend to maintain an upright position, resisting to the extent of their buoyancy the outward current as the net is dragged in, and by thus maintaining a partially-vertical position they hold the foot of the net straight and allow its body to bag backwardly at the same time that they serve their main function of preventing the whole foot from rolling up. The secondary object of the body of the guardsmviz., that of buoyancy-1nay be further increased by hollowing out the pieces of wood, as I have here shown, thereby rendering them more buoyant, and when made hollow I would stop their vupper ends with a cork, b4.

The operation of the guards is as follows: They are readily applied in the position shown and described, and when the net is drawn in as it approaches shoal water its foot or base, being stiff, does not and cannot roll up, but the lead-line is held with certainty against the bottom, while the guards themselves as IOO sume, under the force of the outgoing current, a backward inclination, which the better allows the bagging of the main body of the net. Thus having no roll at the foot of the net the larger fish have no opportunity to escape under it, but must follow back and be caught in the bag of the net as it is drawn in.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Iletters Patent, is-

l. In a fish-net, and in combination with the lead-line at its toot, the guard-li ne secured to the net at a point above and parallel with the lead-line, and the sti t't' or rigid guards extending between said lines and att-ached to both, said guards having a tubular ii'oot portion, through which the lead-line passes, substantially as and ior the purpose herein described.

2. In a sh-net, and 'in combination with `the lead-line at its foot, t-hc guards l, having a body portion secured to the not and a tubular T-shaped foot portion secured to said body portion and receiving the lead-line, substantially as described.

3. In a fish-net, and in combination with its lead-line at its foot, the guard-line extending parallel with the lead-line and secured to the net, and the guards consisting of thebody portion secured at its upper end to the guardline, and a T-shaped tubular foot portion secured to the lower end of the body portion and receiving the lead-line in its horizontal portion, substantially as described.

4C. The guards for the base or tcotot' a fishnet, consisting' ot the buoyant body portion I) and heavy foot portion b, made of a T shape and tubular to receive the body portion and the lead-line of the net, substantially as herein described.

5. In a fish-net, and in combination with its lead-line and the guard-line attached to the net and running parallel with the leadline, the guards I3, consisting of a body portion, l), secured at its top tothe guard-line and having a pointed lower end, and the tubular T-shaped :foot portion b', into which the pointed lower end ot' the body portion tits, said foot portion receiving the lead-line of the net, which is penetrated by the pointed lower end oi the body portion, substantially as described.

G. The guard for fish-nets, consisting of the buoyant body portion Z), having a pointed lower end, and the heavy tubular T-shaped t'oot portion b, in which the lower end of the body portion is secured, substantially as described.

7. The guard for fish-nets, consisting of the hollow buoyant b ody portion b and the heavy tubular T-shaped t'oot portion Z1', secured to Said body portion, substantially as herein described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JACOB MYERS.

Witnesses:

S. H. NoURsn, H. C. LEE. 

